Amon Lachdanan's Gift
by Kyn
Summary: Amon was there the day Diablo was slain in the Tristram Monestary. The heros found her, partially demonic, saved by the only paladin in Tristram yet to submit to darkness. And now she goes east, to destroy Diablo. On Potentially Infinite Hiatus.
1. The Paladin Archer and Rouge

I don't own Diablo. If you think I do you're wrong. Wrong! WRRRRONNNG! BWAHAHAHAHAAH! HOOOHHEHEHEHEHEEAHAHAHAHAHAH! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem.

Note: This story mixes DnD elements with Diablo. An Assimar is a being with some celestial/angelic heritage. A Tiefling is a being with some infernal/demonic heritage. Oh, and Mathias has white skin, he's not like the rest of the Zakarum.

Oh, and this was based off a rollplay, so half the credit goes to my comrade in arms, StalwartShadow

* * *

Oocho sighed, picking dirt off her bowstring. Gently, reverently, she polished the bow till it practically glowed. Beside her, a cloaked figure snorted, laughing lightly to itself. Oocho eyed the cloaked figure dangerously and then shook her head, standing up. Below her foot was a make-shift 'sea-saw'. Sitting at the other end was a thick demon skull, and when Oocho slammed a foot down on her end, the skull flew into the air. One of her arrows thudded deep into the horned forehead, nailing the skull into a log-like wall of the fort. 

Oocho was a rogue. And she was pissed because two people, she and the cloaked person beside her, were not a large enough group to survive out in the Blood Moor alone. Irritated and bored, she had converted her time into honing her near-perfect aim- the one skill she prided above all others.

"You know," the cloaked figure said in an amused, low, female voice, "we could always just take Gheed, the sleazy loser, with us and use him as a human shield. Then there'd technically be three of us." Oocho grunted, eyeing the cloaked figure critically. "What! At least I'm trying to put forward a suggestion. You don't seem too keen on proposing your own."

"After your tantrum, Gheed sells us potions at half cost. He's convenient to keep around a little bit longer."

"We could just come back and say he had an epiphany before he died and wanted us to take all his wares." Oocho rolled her eyes, nailing another demon skull to a wall.

"Nice shot," said a dark voice behind them.

They both turned but saw nothing but shadow. Oocho merely snorted, her eyes narrowing.

"I have dealt enough with shadows to be sick of them. Step into the light." He laughed darkly and then slowly moved into the ring of light. Both cloaked being and archer shifted their gaze lightly to watch a man standing in the shadows step forward, wearing dark green clothing except for his shirt under his cloak which is completely black and had a symbol on it of swirling red and orange fire. All that could be seen of his face is his chin in the little light from the fire.

"It seems you need a party. Am I wrong?" The cloaked figure shook her head.

"No, actually, we have a party- each other. You can join if you want." He laughed lightly.

"Now why should one of you be at the head of the party? I can help you if you will travel with me through the moors."

"Want me to gut him?" The cloaked figure hissed out unpleasantly.

"No, I've more important things to worry about," Oocho muttered back. The man merely laughed.

"As if you could, little rouge."

"You can either join us or not, your choice." Oocho snapped and strode off, without another word.

"Fine, I was just offering. It's you who's losing out here, not me." Ignoring the man behind her, she kept walking.

"He was rude," the cloaked figure murmured, and Oocho sighed.

"Yes, Amon. And so were you."

"I've had enough evil people to last me a life time, thank you very much." Oocho smirked and kept walking, rounding a segment of wall and blinked. Sitting on a log was what appeared to be a paladin, slowly sharpening his sword. Behind her, Amon took one look at the paladin and hid behind Oocho, effectively vanishing. Then she went stealthy- effectively vanishing entirely. He did not notice this, fully concentrated on his task, but Oocho blinked, eyeing the paladin a moment. His skin was not the dark shade of most Zakarum, but he was distinctly a paladin. His hair was silvery, his face reflecting inner thoughts and worries.

"Greetings," Oocho murmured, smiling, and striding up to him. Standing at six foot, four inches tall, she was a goliath among the rouges, easily dwarfing her above average, 5'7" female cloaked companion (Who was currently invisible). The paladin lifted his head and raised an eyebrow before smiling and nodding in greeting.

"Good'een to you mi'lady," he said, smiling.

"My lady?" she asked, smiling. "Well, that is not a title I normally hear." He smiled lightly in return as she came up to him, smirking and crossing her arms over her chest. Then he stood, sheathing his sword quickly before bowing in a more formal fashion.

"'Tis always a pleasure to meet new people. Why not address them in the proper manner?" This brought a small chuckle from the rouge and she bowed back lightly.

"My name is Oocho, sir knight. Are you a paladin?"

"My name would be Mathias, lady Oocho. It is a pleasure to meet you. And indeed, a paladin, that I am. He smiled lightly.

"Do you have a party for out in the blood moore or no? We could use a good paladin." He pondered lightly and grinned.

"I would be glad to join you in your quest to rid this place of the evil permeating it." In return, she grinned, evidently pleased. What he said next, however, made her lift a brow and finger an arrow in her hip quiver. "Though I must say I am happy to have a traveling companion as lovely as you," he said with a light smirk.

"Good. I was worried myself and Amon wouldn't be able to get through the moore alone." Turning, Oocho looked around and sighed. "Unfortunatly, Amon seems to have snuck off on me again." Mathias chuckled lightly.

"The more the merrier, of course." Oocho joined him, laughing and nodding, with a dismissive,

"Ruddy stealthie." Then she looked back at Mathias. "I warn you, though, she is a rouge by the purest definition of the word- not like we archer rouges, like we sisters of the Sightless Eye, are. I hope you don't have a problem with that- she IS a good creature at heart."

The paladin blinked and shook his head. "As long as she's not going to be stealing anything or hurting anyone that she shouldn't, she's fine with me."

Pleased even more so, Oocho nodded. "Yes, the only one she 'hurts' is that sleazy merchant Gheed who tried to sell us red dye in water as healing potions. The paladin made a disapproving face but laughed lightly. "Course, if she hadn't, I would have."

"Indeed, he is not exactly the best of merchants." Again, the archer woman chuckled.

"Underhanded, No honor at all."

Before the two were allowed to become entirely twitterpated with one another, a voice interrupted them.

"I'll say," a voice said from the shadows. "Luckily these ARE mana potions- not blue dye in water. And half price too .."

"Indeed," murmured the paladin, tensing lightly. "Though I don't find the need for them quite pressing." Beside them, Amon melded out from the shadows, holding up some mana potions and cramming them into her pockets.

"Yeah, well," she returned lightly, "Then there are unfortunate people like me in the world, who do better off with mana potions." Mathias turned his gaze, shifting it over to Amon.

"And you are Amon, I am guessing?" Amon was a tall, 5 foot 7 inch woman, but was entirely dwarfed by the 6'4 rouge and the 6'3 paladin. She wore leather and plate armor under a clingy black cloak (Quite an unusual mix) and the tip of a helmet was visible beneath the hem of her low cloak hood.

"I am she," the woman said in response. "And you are Mathias. Nice too meet you. Off the bat, I assure you I do not need any preaching, attempts at conversion, or other irritating holy speeches." The paladin, surprisingly, rolled his eyes and laughed. "And I will have to hit you rather rudely over the head with a large blunt object if I am forced to endure them.

"I had figured as much," he said kindly. "You do not look like one who would be interested in the teaching of the Zakarum."

"Actually, the Zakarum interests me very much .Were you aware the entire order fell to the corruption of demons at the main temples? Or that the highest of them now serve in the shadow council under Mephisto, Diablo and Baal?"

He nodded sadly, looking at the ground. "Yes... I know of this well... I knew a few of the high order personally... I am on my quest to purge them and bring back my order to the light.

Though no one could see it, Amon smiled beneath her hood and helmet.

"Then come on, we better get started." She turned, looking at her gargantuan rogue companion. "Come on Oocho, let's clear this Den of Evil so I can get back here in time for dinner." As an afterthought, she added, "Maybe I can even catch a few quill rats and barbecue them on the way O.o." Mathias blinked. "That would be nice."

"… Might I ask why you would like to grill some quill rats?" he asked slowly. Oocho simply laughed and put a hand on Amon's head. The cloaked girl tilted her head to the side and looked up at Mathias, however, her face and underlying helmet still mostly concealed.

"Because I'm just strange like that," she said simply. Mathias grimaced.

"I hope you are not going to eat them… are you?"

"Of course I am. And then the poison on the quills, when boiled down with a mana potion, makes a lovely antitoxin. I can cure most poisons in this ruddy moor." He nodded slowly as she continued, "Now, come on, every minute we waste they get more and more ingrained in the caverns." At which point she grabbed Oocho's arm and actually tugged her off. Mathias shook his head, murmuring to himself.

"The poison part is good... But the eating?" He made a face, shaking his head and picking up his helmet and shield…

And as he did so, Amon paused briefly, noticing a stray silver feather on the ground.

"Alright!" Oocho said roughly. "Alright, I'm coming." At which point she jerked her arm away, pulling out an arrow and notching it in her bow. Smiling, Mathias followed behind without another word. Some distance from the frail wall acting as a gate to the rouge encampment, Amon started speeding up.

"Alright, everything's good so far," she said. "I'll scout ahead and let you know if I smell or see anything suspiciously dangerous." At which point she vanished off into the shadows, hurrying to the head of the group. Seizing this opportunity, Mathias walked up briskly beside Oocho.

"She is indeed quite a character," he remarked. "Where is she from to have such strange customs and habits?"

"Actually," said Oocho, distracted and looking around, "She's from around here, actually. Some town north of here." If the paladin had been using his innate ability to detect lies, he would have noticed she was telling mostly the truth-

Just not all of it.

"Odd," Mathias murmered.

"But yes, it is kind of gross that she eats quill rats -.-"

"Yes… Those things don't look very appetizing to say the least."

Oocho nodded, neither of the two mentioning that the rats were demonically corrupted.

Amon returned some time after, holding a wooden stick on which she had implanted 6 hunks of quill rat meat, all fried and blackened. Neither one of the two inquired where the fire had come from- rouges were all filled with surprises.

"Nothing ahead of us until we reach the entrance of the den," she said, fading out of the shadows. "Then we have a large group of fallen to deal with.

"Well," the paladin murmured, eyeing their surroundings, "You work quickly." She shrugged… and her helmet must have been removed, because she took a bite out of one of the rats, chewing the seared meat ravenously. As Mathias saw this, he winced and coughed lightly, averting his eyes to the road again. "Sorry," she said between bites, noticing his obvious discomfort.

"No, no… It's fine… But please, keep the display to a minimum… please…" He fidgeted anxiously with the hilt of his sword, something Amon noticed. She eyed him a moment and then faded into stealth again. "I simply meant the display… as in, to not eat it as ravenously as you were doing…"

"Hey, I haven't eaten anything in five days," She said defensively. He shrugged lightly.

"Is it not possible to still eat in a civilized manner."

"Hey, you try not eating anything for five days, and we'll see how you eat. Come on Oocho, I smell gargantuans. We should run to get past them- I hate having to fight the brutes if I can avoid it. Mathias simply smiled, as Oocho responded with,

"Right behind you or… whatever," she amended, as she cannot actually see Amon to know if she is ahead of the girl or in front of her."

"If you must," Mathias interrupted, "then go ahead. I will take them by myself if it bothers you." Both women paused.

"Eh…" Amon said slowly.

"No… we're fine…" Oocho continued. Both lapsed back into a walking stance, Amon muttering something about 'ego' through her food. He eyed the direction of the comment and smirked.

"No ego is concerned here, m'lady. Only that of the will to destroy all the evil that permeates this place. Akara has indicated the Den in these moors as the source… but even if we destroyed the source, wouldn't we have to still destroy the ones here anyways?" He smiled lightly at this logic.

"Or we could just kill Andarial and leave them all leaderless to slaughter each other and slowly be consumed back into the hells." Mathias shook his head, evidently disagreeing with her theory.

"They would cause more harm to innocent people if left un-lead then if they were under the control of their masters still. Nothing would hold them back."

"You're mistaken, I think," she said in her simple way, not offering any defense- just the statement 'I think you're mistaken.'

"I would know…" he said with a soft sigh.

And of course, the small party did come across a lumbering herd of gargantuan, which immediately take it into their stupid little evil minds to charge the party which seems to be made of merely two. Mathias closed his eyes, murmuring softly under his breath- "Give me strength… Light of the heart…"

And as Mathias changed, the leader is promptly set upon by a small irritancy… and a very large, elegantly carved blade going directly through its thick head. Amon materialized from the shadows, standing on its shoulders, and gave a childish but powerful cry of, "BRING IT ON!"

Oocho said nothing, sighing and shaking her head, starting to pepper the monsters with angels. Beside her, the paladin opened his eyes, which flared lightly. Immediately, strength was imparted to both of them as he drew his sword. The peppering of arrows was designed for one purpose… to draw the monsters away from the powerful but frail Amon. And as they turned to lumber at Oocho instead, she began aiming with more deliberation at their heads… as Amon proceeded to dismember them from behind.

Charging forward, their paladin manned the front of the whole operation, trying to keep the gargantuan distracted from both women. Unfortunately for his sake, it worked.

Irritated and confused by what exactly was going on, all the gargantuan turned their attention to the most easily accessed target- the paladin- and began attempting to thwack him through the air with their massive, powerful arms. Knowing the giants were sluggish, he kept moving, trying to keep track of all their lumbering hands. Unfortunately, it was a mathematical equation too many, and he failed to see one of their arms as it thwapped him directly in the bucker, sending him stumbling back and grunting. The one that hit him was quickly put to an end by an arrow shaft protruding from its left eye, but another of the great behemoths charged at the paladin, successfully bowling him over.

Just managing to keep his footing, the paladin grunted and ducked under the lumbering giant's short legs, slashing at its thighs with his blade. This, unfortunately, did not exactly work, as the monster was promptly hamstrung and sat upon him, spewing blood all over him.

"Aaacck!" he grunted out, trying to shove it off., stabbing it with his word and trying to get it to move. It did try to move, to its credit, but its thighs currently had no muscles left with which to support it. Inevitably it would happen that a slightly brainier of the gargantuan would realize the paladin could barely move, and reached down, grabbing for the poor paladin's head with the intent of ripping it off. Irritated and partially flattened, he growled, stabbing at it with his bucker spikes and swinging his sword wildly. The brute lost a finger and some blood, but if anything that just made it grapple at him harder An arrow thudded into the hamstrung gargantuan, evidence that his comrades had not forgotten or abandoned him, but this just caused the monster to slump more, half crushing the paladin. At least it had been _trying_ to stand up earlier. Prone and near helpless, Mathias gagged slightly, coughing and gasping for air as he struggled to keep himself from being ripped apart. It appeared not his luck to retain his limbs, as the other gargantuan finally got a grip on his sword arm and neck. It starts squeezing with the intent of popping his head right off… But as it did so, Amon finally got wind of the situation, pouching on its back, and sending its head rolling off onto the paladin's shield.

"Glad we didn't run ahead, Pally?" he said, jumping off the gargantuan and pushing it over with a single hand. What a disrespectful form of slang to call a paladin. Not waiting for an answer, she knelt down, and tried to help him get the dead hamstrung gargantuan off of him. He grunted to her, accepting the help begrudgingly.

Both women were surprisingly strong, and together, Oocho and Amon easily heaved the massive carcass off of him. At that point, Amon grinned under her replaced helmet, kneeling down next to him, her hood still down.

"You alright?" She asked. He nodded, sitting up, his silver hair shedding another feather.

"No broken ribs or anything?" He shook his head, standing and shifting his clothing about slightly. "Good." She paused, silent for a moment, and he murmured,

"Thank you."

Another long pause. "Are you an Assimar? I noticed your hair has feathers in it." He nodded slightly. "So you have a bit of heavenly celestial blood, right? Explains why you're a paladin."

"Would there be any other reason?" he smirked lightly. Amon laughed and slowly touched the hem of her hood.

"This… was given to me… by a friend…" Slowly she pushed back her hood, revealing an elegantly crafted paladin helmet beneath. It was compact enough to fit nicely under her hood, but also adorned with some tusks, spikes, and feathers. Her eyes were obscured by the mask, the eye areas being enchanted to let out no light, but allow light in to the viewer. He blinked, peering at her from beneath his own helmet.

"It's… quiet elegant." He took his helmet off for a moment to breathe easier, but said nothing after that, putting his helmet back on and getting up to keep on the walk. "Let us continue," he said, as if nothing had happened to him. Amon grinned beneath her helmet, standing up and fading into shadow.

Unknown to him, she watched him to see if he was hurt or limping or anything. As far as she could see, there was nothing wrong, but she asked one more time. "You're _sure_ you're not hurt? You did get sat on to the point where you could barely breathe."

"Yes," he assured her, "I'm perfectly fine."

"Kay." She resumed eating her rats as the den of evil came into view. At the gaping maw of the entrance was a huddled man, with near albino skin, gray eyes, raven black hair, and his right arm and leg wrapped in bandages. And at the mouth, there was no Fallen. All was silent.

"Whoa…" Amon murmured, reappearing near the stranger, and peering at him curiously. "Who are you?" The man opened his eyes, pure gray in color, and looked at them silently. She docked her head to the side and then tried again. "Hello."

"Hello," he returned.

"What is your name? I'm Amon." The man shook his head, as Oocho ran up behind Amon, scowling at the cloaked girl as if saying 'We don't know him, he might not be on our side!'

"Are names so important?" he asked. Inwardly, Oocho groaned. Oh no… not another of those philosophy monk types…


	2. A Monk and an insane Necromancer

I will call this chapter...

The Monk  
The Necromancer  
And an altruistic, completely naive Paladin!

* * *

"Are names so important?" the strange man asked.

"Yes. They are symbols that represent a person," Amon responded, adopting a strange tone of voice. "And allow reference back to them. They allow people an identity to attach to a face and reference within the mind."

The man smiled weakly. "That, is true. Your answer is real, thus you are real." Amon tilted her head to the side, but behind her Oocho just looked baffled, sneaking a glance at the Paladin. In turn, the paladin was just looking at the strange man, puzzled. Then Amon moved, coming up to the man and bowing her head lightly in greeting.

"Did you dispose of the fallen here?" she questioned. "Or anything to that effect?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'dispose'," he said, smiling weakly again.

"Are you the reason that- at least to my perception- the fallen are no longer here?"

"Yes… that is the right question to ask… I am indeed the source of the leaving of the Fallen from this area. I am here to warn any who wish to enter that this is not child's play."

"Oh good," Amon said, relieved, "you don't look like a child or that you're playing. How 'bout you come with us? You can supervise 'Chair' over here." She jerked her thumb at the paladin, grinning beneath helmet and hood.

"To follow another's foot-steps is a decision not easily decided. I decided upon mine a long time ago."

"You know, if you really wanted to, you could walk at the head of the group instead." He smiled weakly, and she laughed softly. "So, you coming or not?"

"Perhaps you should ask your question differently," he offered. She crossed her arms, pondering to herself.

"How about this: Would you like to join us in the purging of the Prime and Lesser evil's minions from within this singular grouping of caverns?"

"There such a thing as evil?"

"Hey, I didn't say they were evil, I was just calling them by their names, you've got no argument on that." She smiled lightly. "But if you really want me to change it, I can say the Prime and Lesser entities obsessed with the consummation and destruction of this world and all its populace, commonly referred to the Prime and Lesser evils."

"_That _is better understood."

"So are you coming or not?"

"Yes… I will come."

"Thank you for your assistance . . Fried quill rat?" She offered him one such rat.

"I do not feed upon such things."

"Kay."

"Those things are… Frivolous…"

"Frivolous? Define your usage of the word."

"Why must one feed upon let us say steak? When all he really needs is but a bowl of gruel."

"Because protein builds muscle and stimulates mental activity, and protein is easily obtained from meat. And sometimes people don't really like the taste of gruel, preferring the juices and flavors of meat. Besides, steak provides a wealth of vitamins and minerals that gruel cannot hope to contain. Different likes and tastes give us different characteristics and make us individuals."

"OH WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP? GEEZ! WE COULD HAVE CLEARED THE DEN BY NOW! Come on!" Oocho called from her position in the caves with the paladin behind her. The monk smiled slightly, and Amon nodded.

"Looks like we're going to have to discuss philosophy later. Now is the time for my stealth," at which point she faded into shadow and ran to the head of the group. The man laughed lightly, and followed, walking without any type of weapons about his person.

Oocho simply rolled her eyes, her bow taunt and ready. Mathias could see fine in the gloom of the cave, walking alert behind her, and the monk came last.

"Ugh, that was the longest wordiest conversation I've ever been forced to endure," Oocho muttered. "And I've had to hear Amon talk like that a lot." The monk laughed lightly.

"Then we will not get along," he said softly.

After some time, they came upon the bodies of two Fallen with their heads cracked in half, and Amon poked Oocho gently in the ribs.

"Big room filled with Zombies ahead," she announced in a whisper. "Make sure 'Chair' here stays in the doorway so he doesn't get surrounded by them. Those things pack a punch."

"Were you referring to me?" the monk asked innocently.

"No, Pally here. He got sat on in the last battle."

"… I can take care of myself, thank you," Mathias said back.

"Just stay in the doorway, okay? Don't go into the room."

"…Fine." Amon went silent again, and eventually the party did come to a room overloaded with very, very many, very, very dead zombies. Immediately, the monsters smelling the living flesh of the party, and turned, lumbering toward Oocho.

"FOUR!" Announced Oocho, starting to pick them off one by one.

"Thanks for the warning this time," Amon picked up, dashing forward and picking off Zombies that were ahead of the bulk. As the majority of flesh-eating undead brutes got closer to the door, she backed up and allowed Oocho to continue picking them off.

Behind them, the monk was simply looking around, not getting involved in the fray. In front of them, Mathias stood in the doorway, and beat them off easily. And then, slowly, the man behind them slipped into a side hallway.

Amon came up behind Mathias, kneeling down and putting one hand on his calf. "Hey, I'm right here sitting down behind you, don't back up." At which point she began stabbing the brains out of any Zombie that fell to the ground and didn't stop moving. Mathias obeyed her, standing firm and beating off any Zombie that got near him. And eventually, said Zombies, coming at him like cannon fodder, were entirely mowed down by one of the tree companions. Only a few managed to thwack their powerful arms at the paladin, bashing his armor.

When the last of the undead horrors fell, Mathias rubbed his side lightly, not seeming very bothered by the fact that he had gotten brutally slugged by the Zombies. Amon just laughed, standing up. "The monk has wandered off. I hope he's doing something productive. You alright, Chair?" Mathias was fine, and he nodded slightly. "Augh, don't you ever get hurt? What am I going to do with all these healing potions that I used to have to waste all on myself?" He smiled lightly.

"Soon enough." She smiled up at him beneath her helmet.

"You're too dang tall. Like Oocho. The good news is that she's convenient- her general rate of fire goes over my head." Mathias nodded as Oocho continued.

"Save one time I nailed the poor stealthie in the rear."

"Yeah, and my arse still hurts."

"Oh be quiet, we all know you have regenerati-" Oocho cut off abruptly, stooping to loot the corpses, as Amon sneaked a glare back at Oocho. Mathias, fortunately, only looked at the two a moment and then began picking through the bodies himself. Amon lifted her head again, looking at the bodies and then blinking and looking at a ridge above them.

"Well I'll be o.O," she murmured. "Hey! Kaurian!" She dashed to the ridge, gripping the edge and looping herself up on top of it, drawing her sword and easily cutting through the wooden cage that was perched up there. Mathias blinked, lifting his head, to see a necromancer curled up in the remains of the cage, unconscious. Blood was smeared over the side of his face, and his countenance was drawn with pain.

"Who is that poor person?" he inquired.

"This is Kaurian. We thought he was dead O.o."

"Bring him down, I'll bandage his wounds."

"Its okay, I need to waste _some_ of this surplus of healing potions." Gently she picked up the necromancer, cradling him and tilting his head back. She uncracked a potion and gently force fed him, pouring it down his throat. He stirred slightly, indicating he was still alive, and Amon smiled, jumping down beside her traveling companions. "He's a necromancer, a priest of Rathma. As if the skulls on his armor weren't indication enough."

"Well, that's good. At least he is not evil," Mathias said, looking down at the wounded human.

"Well… actually… never mind. He's not evil as much as he is… not exactly all up here." She tapped her temple with one hand to indicate the necromancer was an utter madman. Then she sat down, sitting the necromancer in her lap, and began to braid his hair.

Oocho sighed. "He's going to kill you when he wakes up."

"I can't help it, he has nice hair."

The archer shook her head and knelt by the necromancer, feeding him another healing potion. This one woke him up, and he blinked, cold black eyes opening. They were glazed slightly, not pure in color, and he looked a bit disoriented. But then his eyes fixed upon Mathias and he could only exclaim one thing: "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

"I am who I am," Mathias said with a small smirk.

"FCKING PRIEST OF ZAKARUM! DIEEEE!" He launches at the paladin, only to be tackled to the ground by Amon.

"Oh calm down. So you don't like paladins- that was a severe overreaction."

Kaurian blinked, turning his head and looking back at her. "… Amon? Oocho? I'M ALIVE .!" Mathias blinked. "Wait… GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HAIR!"

"Why exactly does he hate paladins?" the Assimar paladin inquired. Trying to get her to stop, Kaurian ignored Mathias for the moment, fighting against Amon despite the fact that one of his ribs was cracked. Amon laughed, getting off of him, and he groaned, sitting up and feeling over his hair, half of which was braided tightly. Then, finally, he turned his attention back to Mathias.

The necromancer's face was noble and proud, but pale white. And his hair reached down to his shoulder blades, straight and pure white. "Bigoted self-righteous monsters," he hissed out. "I've had enough of Paladins damning the teaches of Rathma, and proclaiming necromancy a demonic art!" To his credit, Mathias was far more a paladin then any of the bigoted, self righteous high council of the Zakarum, which fell so easily to demonic corruption.

"I do not damn the art of necromancy," the paladin said evenly. "My order fell because of such accusations. I wish to change that in paladins." Kaurian blinked and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the Zakarum priest. Then he snorted and stood up slowly, wincing and touching his cracked rib.

"So i'm not going to have to listen to you preach about how Rathma misleads all his followers, and the light this and the light that?"

"No. It would be wise for you to go back to the rouge camp…"

"And leave Oocho and Amon alone with you? No, Assimar!" This was surprising- as the necromancer could instantly tell what Mathias was, even with the paladin's helmet covering his unique hair and his eyes obscured. "That would be stupid!" But then he grinned shrewdly. "You don't even know, do you? You ignore it even though your senses scream it… Perhaps you are liberal, but you are an Assimar… You would never help them if you knew!"

"SHUT UP, KAURIAN!" Amon cried, tackling the necromancer into a wall and causing him to cry out as his ribs broke. Mathias blinked, looking at her puzzled. She was immediately sorry, not having known her own strength, and gave him a potion. He grunted and she helped him sit down against the wall. He set directly on a zombie corpse, not seeming to mind the squishy rotten flesh at all. Apparently there was only one thing that really bothered necromancers- annoying LIVING people. Like paladins.

At last, Amon turned back to Mathias and lowered her head. "We should keep moving. And we should stop screaming."


	3. The Tiefling shows its face

This Chapter shall be called

The Tiefling and the STILL oblivious Paladin. And the overprotective Necromancer

* * *

"We'll attract every demon in the place," Amon continued.

"It would ease our job- we would have to look for them," Mathias said with a slight laugh. He really was entirely oblivious. Amon simply snorted, wondering why he was not questioning her on what Kaurian had just said…

"Have you no sense of curiosity?" she burst out- and immediately regretted it. She didn't WANT Mathias to ask. He blinked, looking at her.

"What do you mean?"

"… Nothing… Let's find out what happened to our monk." She turned and helped Kaurian up from where he sat upon the dead Zombie. Then she turned toward the side tunnel that the monk had slipped into and moved towards it.

"Looking for me?" the voice of the monk called.

"Yep!" His voice what quite far away and he came back to them through the tunnel, holding a torch for light. That he picked up their conversation indicated that he had a keen sense of hearing. "So," she continued as he came up to them, grinning and crossing her arms over her chest, "where did you wander off to?"

"I… Took care of a group of Carvers… by myself." She nodded as a barely noticeable smile touched his lips.

"Thank you," she said with a thankful smile. "Do you loot corpses?" He shrugged.

"Only for gold."

"Ah, so we should check to see if there is anything else we want?" Again he shrugged. Amon grinned, and, in unison with him, said "If you wish." She grinned at him, laughing lightly.

"… "

Mathias, however, butted in, nodding. "That would be good. Come on," and he and Oocho headed off to loot.

Amon decided to tease the poor monk a little more, and then asked him, "Is gold so important?" Mimicking what he had said to her when they had first met.

"Hmm… It is… Not for me. But it is important for something else." Amon merely tilted her head to the side.

"I was mimicking your question about names. You still haven't told me yours." Kaurian limped by, going towards the looting chamber.

"Get a room," he grunted out. The monk simply responded with,

"…" Amon simply shook her head, sighing.

"Will you please tell me your name? Or at lease something to call you bye?"

"That I will. My name is Thaedras "Windbearer" Takegawa of the Windwalkers," he offered with a bow.

"Do you mind if I just call you 'Thaedras'?"

"I do not at all." She nodded, and then asked,

"Do _you_ know what I am? Mathias seems to be the only person who doesn't- for which I am very grateful."

"I know that you are alive. But I do not know, or need to know, what you are."

"I'm not Human. Is that alright with you?"

"Perfectly." She nodded again, wiping her blade off on her pant leg.

"Okay… let's follow them then. Unless you want to wander off again."

"They aren't very far." Both turned, Amon hurrying after her accomplices and Thaedras following at his own place. The Paladin and Archer were both already looting, and Amon joined them, watching Kaurian play with his equipment (Which he'd just found in a sack). Kaurian smiled to himself, and then shot a bone lance past the Paladin, inches from his left ear. Mathias never even flinched, standing up slowly to look at him.

"What is it, necromancer?"

"What? I said nothing to you," Kaurian answered with a smile, standing up and hooking his wand to his belt.

"There was no need for any form of intimidation on your part…"

"I was just testing my aim."

"I see… And what would have happened if you hit me?"

"Ah but dear Mathias… What would happen if I hit you right now? I could if I wanted to. The point is, I'm not going to. And I haven't done so." He grinned darkly and went over to Amon, watching her loot. He seemed strangely protective over the Archer and Rouge.

"…You best not, Necromancer. I have no qualms with you, but if you are to provoke me, you can trust I will not be lenient. Kaurian didn't even grace him with a response, waiting for Amon to finish. Mathias eyed him a moment and then went back to looting.

Finally, when Amon finished looting and stood, Kaurian smiled and strapped a small bucker to his arm that seemed to be made of stretched demon hide.

"I'm ready," Oocho said, standing and stretching. "Everyone else ready?"

"Both of us," Kaurian answered.

"I am done," Mathias announced, standing as well.

"As am I…" Thaedras said simply, and Amon nodded, smiling and heading off, stealthing. Behind her, both Oocho and Kaurian followed, and Mathias and Thaedras followed behind.

After some time, Amon came back to them.

"Around six gargantuan, three fallen shaman, and their tribes."

"We will defeat them with ease," Mathias whispered back. Thaedras made a noise resembling, "Hmph…" but nothing more. Amon smiled beneath her stealth, and then a fallen carcass tumbled out of the shadow. Immediately, the Necromancer smiled with delight, raising a full blown skeletal minion, which moves to the head of the group, right beside Oocho.

"Same tactic?" he asked her.

"Same tactic," she answered. "I'll blow out a few fallen and you raise them before their Shaman can. Then we let Mathias, and if Thaedras stays with us, Thaedras through to fight as well. We're better off in the back."

"Oh goody : ) " The Nekromancer was defiantly a strange one. Their conversation was interrupted by Amon hissing out,

"Be quiet, they'll hear us." And, quite quickly, they came upon a new cavern. Simultaneously, there was a sickening thud as a shaman's head went rolling across the floor. After initial shock, the other two shaman and all the fallen instantly rushed at the party, ice bolts hitting the ground where Amon was and effectively making her visible, freezing her to the ground.

Oocho then proceeded to litter the fallen with arrows, six of the dead rising up as skeletons. Perfectly coordinated, Kaurian sent his minions crashing through the fallen all the way up to Amon, having them huddle around her and fend off attacks until she could properly move again. Then the Necromancer stepped aside…

And Mathias let loose an aura of strength, charging headlong into the pack of fallen. Only Thaedras stayed reserved, walking slowly into the room and letting those who wish to fight come to him. Eventually, Amon started freeing her legs, the magic wearing off, and vanished once more. The next shaman's head was split open. It never knew what hit it. The gargantuan, being the lumbering idiots they were, had finally gotten wind of the situation and were charging at the skeletons, smashing them to pieces. What came out of Kaurian's mouth was… strange.

"KNAVES! BLASPHAMERS! DEVILS!" As bone lances started thudding into them. Of course, Mathias didn't do much to help the skeletons against the gargantuan, concentrating on making his way to the last shaman and keeping the fallen occupied. And Thaedras stood still, watching the battle silently. Amon, seeing that the Paladin had the Shaman covered, ran back to the skeletons and started taking the weakened gargantuan down.

"GO CHAIR!" She was so flattering. And Thaedras crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes closing to slits while Mathias hacked, kicked, and bashed his way to the Shaman. With most of the enemy out of the way, Oocho merely nailed the Shaman between the eyes with an arrow, right as Mathias finally gets to it.

"…" Mathias grunted, standing up straight, and kicking the body while nodding contently. "Yep… Job well done, indeed."

Of course, without the shamans or the gargantuan, the rest of the fallen were slaughtered like harmless flies. And Thaedras hadn't made one offensive movement the entire time.

Amon sighed, reappearing, breathing in deep, and Mathias pulled of his helm to catch his breath. " I'm not one to highlight many things," the Paladin began, "But… could I ask why you did not help us?" He looked over at Thaedras. The Monk merely opened his eyes back up to look at Mathias.

"I look not for quarrel where there is none to be found.

"What he means to say is, we didn't need his help and no monsters were even bothering to attack him, so he didn't have to fight. I think," Amon supplied. Thaedras just smiled. Whether that was what he had meant or not, no one knew.

Oocho sighed and shook her head, watching the Rouge ask Mathias again if he was injured, and watching him answer with 'no'. "Amon, you always seem to get along with everyone. How is it you do it?" she muttered enviously, poking through the corpses. As everyone stooped to looting, she looked over at Amon again. "You smell any more demons, Amon?"

"No, just three infested rouges guarding a treasure box down that hall," she said, pointing.

"Oh, good," Kaurian said with a smile. He raised some skeletons and a clay golem, sending them after the treasure. Female screams occurred and the skeletons came back with the treasure chest.

"… That was slightly disturbing…" The Paladin said, making a slight face.

"What, I was just getting the treasure chest," the Necromancer said innocently. The cloaked rouge rolled her eyes beneath her helmet.

"He can't help it, Mathias. He's desensitized.

"I see… Shall we keep on?" the Assimar Paladin asked, standing up. Amon grinned and plopped down, looting.

"No. I don't smell any more demons. There aren't any left. Just wait a moment, you'll see."

"I do," he said in disgust, wrinkling his nose. She rolled her head and eyes exaggeratly.

"That's just their corpses! I mean live ones."

And as Amon promised, bolts of light shot through the cave, bouncing off solid rock walls and lighting up the entire cavern.

"Told you," she said smugly. He looked in her direction "It's purified." Kaurian snickered.

"Listen to Amon when she says something. Specially about demons. She's like a mini Horadrim Scholar."

"… That's what I'm concerned about," murmured the Paladin darkly. Kaurian blinked.

"What?" In return, Mathias just shrugged. Amon, however, looked straight at Mathias. Then she looked at her hands, clasping them in front of her. Kaurian merely snickered again. "You have no idea about anything concerning Amon, do you?" he asked.

"I have my suspicions," Mathias answered simply. "I suspect, but I do not denounce without evidence. I am not prejudiced like my brethren were.

Amon quivered lightly. "Do you want to know?" she asked with a slight rush. Mathias blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"To hide something from others can be dangerous. Amon nodded to herself, and then reached under her hood, pulling the helmet like a mask from her face. Gently, she sat it on the ground. Then she stood and came over to Mathias, kneeling and slowly pushing back the hem of the hood…

Revealing her maroon hair, small curved horns, and red eyes. She was a Tiefling. As he has celestial, angelic blood… she had demonic.


	4. A bit of Variety reminds us

She was a Tiefling. His eyes widened

"I should have known," he said in a low voice. Amon shrunk back as if struck, quickly covering her face and pulling her hood back down. Mathias was silent. Slowly he stood, turning away from her and sheathing his sword, with Kaurian snickering in the background. "I will not kill you… or chase after you… or anything like that."

"But you'll leave…" Amon said softly. He nodded.

"I am compelled by my beliefs not to help you." Her eyes saddened and she lowered her head, shoulders slumping. Seeing this, he made an effort to apologize, though it was not quite clear what for. "I am sorry, Amon. But it is my way," he said weakly, before turning and walking of towards the exit. Amon blinked and then perked up.

"Do you have any holy water on you? Or blessed bread?"

"No. My order is dead, remember?"

"No, but I mean… can you bless water? A true paladin should be able to instill the gift of the light- fallen order or not."

"I… Do not have the authority to do so…"

"Who's left that's higher then you? Bless some for me… I want to show you something… if you'd let me…" He was silent a long moment, and then he sighed, pulling out a flask of water. Silently she watched as he prayed over it and then offered it to her. She took it with a smile hidden beneath her hood. Then she poured a bit on a dead fallen to make sure the water was blessed. Her smile broadened as it ate for the demonflesh, and she pushed back her hood. "Finally… Demon blood is so corrosive." And she promptly began to guzzle it. The whole thing. She didn't stop, or get burned, or get sick, or anything. Mathias was silent, watching her as she lowered the flask to the ground and whipped her lips, sighing softly in relief. Then she looked at Mathias. "I can only eat tainted food… be it by light or darkness… I haven't eaten for five days because I hate eating demonflesh… And with no Zakarum left, all I have are the few provisions I brought from…" Amon fell silent a moment before slowly continuing. "From Tristram."

Mathias's brow furrowed and he snorted, picking up the flask.

"A bleak place it is now… So I've heard…" He turned away from her.

"It's where I was born." Not saying anything, he started making his way out. "Deep… deep into the hellish catacombs of the monastery… That's how I met the person who gave me this helmet." Silence. "He's the one who stopped me from eating demonflesh." Silence. "Please Mathias… I am not like them anymore… He changed me…"

"Still…"

"Is there not a thing in your religion known as "Redemption"?" She looked up at him pathetically.

"Yes… Though, again, I do not have the power to judge people redeemed." He'd stopped to talk, but he still hadn't turned to look at her. She sighed, hanging her head, not even sure why she desired so badly for Mathias to believe her. Perhaps it was because she was one of the only unprejudiced paladins she had ever met.

"… Only the paladin who found me trusted me… All paladins I have met since him… have tried to kill me… He trusted me… because he knew what it was to be damned… He understood."

"I somewhat do as well."

"You don't understand what it is to be hated… by the only thing that can be save you."

"I understand how it is to be seen as something lowly and undeserving."

"How can something reach salvation if all the saviors are busy hating?" He fell silent as she stood and slowly walked up to him. Thaedras watched intently, the other party members staring on.

Amon stepped in front of the paladin, and lowered her head to hide her hellish eyes. Her hands pushed her paladin helmet to him, and he blinked, slowly turning to look down at her.

"Do you recognize the house that this helm belonged to? It is very old... A very prominant blood line..."

"I do," he answered.

"And who would you say it last belonged to?"

"I do not know the name, but I know the knighthood."

"Then I will tell you," interrupted Oocho. "When your beloved Zakarum order fell, they fell quickly. Corruption spread like wild fire. I, a nameless warrior... and a sorcerer... descended into that hellish monastery to rid this world of Diablo's taint. The Zakarum fell so quickly. But there in a place between our world and hell... We found Lachdanan, King Leoric's Champion." Everyone was silent, hanging on her words. "Nameless would have killed him. But he pleaded with us, telling us he was weakened from struggle and pleaded that we hear him out. He asked us to find him the golden elixir, a Zakarum artifact you might recognize."

"I do. It's designed to liberate something from damnation."

"Yes. Needless to say, we did not trust him. Who would? He was a corrupted Blood Knight, a Fallen Paladin undead. We might had never have found the elixir, but Nameless insisted at least looking for it. Quite by accident, we stumbled upon it a floor below the one we found him on. As we engaged battle to get to the elixir, it was snatched before our noses by a small demonic creature. Needless to say, I was enraged, and we chased the abomination all the way up to the previous floor… Where, to our surprise, we found the monster giving the elixir to Lachdanan!"

Mathias blinked, lowering his eyes to look at Amon again, watching the small Tiefling.

"Lachdanan gave the little cloaked creature a few loafs of unleavened blessed bread, and some holy water. He thanked us for securing the elixir and told us that his helm might be useful in our journeying, though, surprisingly, he said he was giving it to this small creature. As the helm was the only piece of his armor that remained holy after he was cursed, it would survive his death. Then he drank the elixir, destroying him and warping his unholy armor into piles of rust and metal scraps. " She paused, looking down at Amon as well. "Ever since, Amon's traveled with me. Ever since, she's had that helm. And now we go East."

"And why is that?"

"To destroy Diablo."

"Then the rumors about his survival are true? That is grave indeed."

"Nameless was infested by the spirit of Diablo. He is going east, the last of humanity rapidly evaporating. Amon and I are going because Nameless was our friend. And Amon considers herself responsible for his survival, even though we already knew he had Diablo's Soulstone. So it's personal now. We must destroy Diablo… To liberate our friend… And to save this world from evil." Quietly, Mathias watched Amon. The rouge was staring down at her helmet mutely. "And if a little Tiefling is going to help me- with my same exact goals at heart- then I say why not? It's as good as help from An Assimar."

Mathias sighed softly. "My only question now, is why is it you all so desperately want me to stay?" he said, smirking up at them.

"You're not like other paladins," Amon said suddenly, looking up at him. "You don't feel hate."

"What says I don't?"

"You didn't kill me. Everyone else immediately tries. I quested with three paladins for half a year, and the moment they knew…" Her hands clenched and she slowly put the helmet back on.

"And how did they not succeed in killing you? I do believe that three paladins would easily rat out and destroy a lone Tiefling."

"That-" interjected Kaurian lazily, "Would be how we met. I saw three paladins attacking a rouge and restraining Oocho from helping… So I gave them some skeletons to play with."

"I would think they would have killed her immediately," responded Mathias.

"You underestimate Amon. Alongside Nameless, she struck Diablo his killing blow."

"… I see…" Mathias looked at Amon a moment longer and then put a hand on her shoulder. This caused her to jump and look up at him through the helmet. "Alright." She blinked, staring at him. "I'll remain with the group."

Oocho smiled. Thaedras, leaning against a wall, smirked. Amon, on the other hand, was silent a moment before hug-tackling the paladin, hugging him tightly. He stood tall against the embrace, furrowing his brow lightly in puzzlement.

"She really does get along with everyone," Oocho muttered with a sigh. Everyone looked at her. "WELL IT'S IRONIC! How come everyone likes the _Tiefling_?"

"Maybe it lies in the fact that she seems to be more reactive?" Thaedras proposed, but that meant nothing to Oocho, so she continued ranting.

"Even _Nameless_ liked her! And he didn't like or dislike anything!" She sighed, shrugging as Amon released Mathias and smiled up at him beneath her helmet.

"I will prove my heart is not demonic," the Tiefling said. "I'll prove it." Mathias laughed lightly.

"Perhaps you'd like to start by not eating quill rats?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're going to have to find me a lot of holy bread and water then."

"Fortunately, I seem to be able to make said bread and water holy." She grinned and offered the paladin a rat.

"Quill rat?" She smiled, patting her shoulder gently, before putting her helmet back on. She laughed, dropping the rat. "So, everyone coming back to the Rouge encampment?" There was a unanimous nod… from everyone but Thaedras. He shrugged. Amon sighed at this, and walked over, in an attempt to grab the monk's arm and tug him along. Thaedras, with different ideas, immediately threw her off, sweeping for her legs with his foot to knock her off-balance. Amon was skilled in reflex-fighting, however, and she twisted in midair, landing on her hands and dropping into a defensive crouch. "Do you not like being touched or something?"

"That is not the problem. The problem is that I do not trust you, and you do not trust me," the monk said in response. He crossed his arms over his chest again.

Amon blinked "Sure I do. O.o I'm hopelessly Naïve. But why don't you trust me? It's not like I'm going to brutally attack you. I didn't brutally attack the paladin O.o"

Thaedras shrugged "It takes time. Time is a commodity."

"Well, you can stay here if you really want."

"I never said I was not going to follow you out." Amon snorted, looking at him a long moment.

"Friendship doesn't take time. It takes effort. You are not one to expend effort when its unnecessary. And most paladins are not willing to expend effort when in the presence of demons. Now, you can either come with us… or you can not come with us. I suggest you pick and stick with it." She turned, heading toward the exit. Behind her, Thaedras laughed weakly, and he jogged past her, faster then she would have thought he could. Amon snorted and looked at the ground. Mathias smiled and came up beside her.

"He doesn't hate you. He just wants to stay by himself."

"Yeah, I know. He doesn't seem the committing type."

"On the contrary, he's very committed, just as I am." Amon smiled and looked at Mathias, shaking her head. Kaurian interrupted then with,

"He doesn't commit himself without it being a necessity or a life calling."

Mathias nodded slowly "Ah. I think- though I am not sure- that he is committed to balance, not to good or to evil." Kaurian shook his head, evidently thinking Mathias still wasn't getting it."

"No… like… I am Amon's friend," the necromancer said. "It took one event to make me her friend. I didn't have to be her friend. I saved her for no reason other then idle curiosity- and a dislike for prejudiced paladins." Mathias just shrugged.

"Perhaps he just hadn't found any reason to open up yet."

"Indeed. We mean, by saying he is not the committing type, that he wouldn't do something like that- wouldn't become friends so quickly. He's not… fickle at all. He's straight and determined, with no random actions- no instant changes. Everything takes time and slow progression." Mathias nodded, everyone falling silent as they headed back to the camp.

As they reached the fort, Amon sighed, and promptly collapsed next to the big bonfire, curling up and apparently going to sleep. Kaurian and Oocho went off to bicker with Gheed, and Mathias sat down on a log, taking off his helmet and sighing. Mathias watched the 6'4" rouge and the smaller necromancer go off and shook his head (Yes, have you caught that yet? Oocho is six feet, four inches tall. She's an inch taller than Mathias.) Then he turned back to the fire, feeding it some wood. Beside it, Amon was like both a cat and a child, curled up and resting her cheek on her arms. Her helmet was still on, and her cloak was wrapped around her.

"How old are you?" he asked her. She stirred lightly, and looking at him. The question was out of the blue, and came as he was busy cooking himself some food.

"I don't know," admitted Amon. "I don't remember anything before the first time I met Lachdanan."

"I see…" He shrugged lightly, nibbling on some of his food, running a hand through his hair and pulling out loose feathers. Absently, Amon reached out, taking one of the falling, fluttering feathers and twirling it in her fingers. It was soft and small, and not very developed. It had probably been dislodged early in growth during a fight.

"How come you didn't notice I was a Tiefling?" she asked.

"I noticed something strange about you, but I decided to wait and see."

"Why didn't you sense my demonic taint?"

"I…don't sense… I did not inherit that celestial trait." Amon looked at him, tilting her head to the side.

"How old are _you_?"

"I…I do believe I'm around twenty six years of age."

"Who were your parents? Do you remember or know them?" He nodded. I was made between the marriage of my father- who was human- and my mother- who was an Avoral." Amon nodded. "And frankly, I don't know how they stay together." She giggled.

"Why do you say that?"

"My father was the kind of man to stay in one place. My mother- an Avoral is winged at the arms- was a free and wandering spirit. Amon laughed softly, slowly getting up and coming over to him, sitting down on the log beside him.

"How come you never seem to get hurt?"

"I do. My armor just covers it up." He laughed lightly.

"Well, you're irritating me. Normally I'm the one who ends up having to take care of everyone else." She smirked. "Now I've got no one left to heal. We should attack something scarier." Mathias grunted.

"I could use a potion right now, actually." She blinked, and tilted her head to the side.

"You alright?"

"Of course not." He smirked, opening his hand for a potion. She placed one in his palm, looking at him with concern.

"Let me look at where you're hurt. Healing potions work best if the wound itself is tended to. And I'm not bad at bandaging." He blinked and then nod, slowly unclasping his upper armor, and pulling it off, he wearing a sweat-dampened leather shirt underneath. "So where do you hurt? Everywhere? Just your sides?" He shrugged lightly.

"Just my sides, I believe." She smiled and nodded, gently pulling up the sides of his shirt and examining the hurting area. A powerful and well-trained being, he had stood up against the blows well. However, hidden under the steel-muscled appearance, his sides were badly bruised. Surprisingly, there seemed to be some part of inscription on his lower back. Curious, she lifted the cloth a bit more, looking at it curiously. He back was tattooed with the inscriptions of his religion's beliefs. Smirking, she pulled out some salve.

"What?" Mathias sad in protest. "They remind me of who I am and what I fight for." She grinned, gently rubbing the salve into the bruise-wound.

"I don't see how that is- you can't see them on your back."

He shuddered and winced at the applying of the salve. "In a mirror I can. They are inscribed backwards." She laughed softly and gently bandaged up his sides.

"There, drink the potion." He sighed, downing the potion in one swig. She finished tying the bandages and backed up a bit from him. He lowered his shirt and proceeded to put his armor back on. With a grin, she stopped him. "Wait, wait, let me see." Gently, she pulled up the back of his shirt, examining the inscription. He blinked.

"Good luck reading it. It's in our language." Amon smiled smugly, pulling out a small mirror and turning around, examining the inscription through the mirror. Then she began to read it out loud, translating it into the common language. The paladin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What? Did you not expect that?"

"No… I didn't…" She laughed lightly and put the mirror away, sitting up and pushing his shirt back down. "How do you know our language?" he asked as he put his armor back on.

"I know many things. I like to learn."

"I see. Well, good to know," he said, standing and grumbling lightly. The he nodded her, and walked off to speak with some of the rouges. Almost as he left, Thaedras could be seen, coming toward the camp as night fell. Immediately Amon smiled, going up to him.

"Hello."

"Good evening."

"So, do you really only eat gruel?" He nodded.

"So what do you put in it?" He shook his head.

"It is made itself." She lifted a brow.

"Okay… Sorry, but I don't actually know _what_ gruel is."

"It's not… actually gruel… but it is similar…"

"Kay, so what is it?" He drew out a wooden spoon. It was a simple thing really- just well carved.

"This has been my source of food for many years now." She looked up at him and crossed her arms.

"Could you elaborate for me?"

Then Thaedras pulled out a simple bowl and touched the spoon to it. Instantly, some sort of pasty gray matter seemed to materialize and fill the bowl.

"Whoa. Nice. What does it taste like?" He presented the bowl to her, and she blinked. "You want me to try some?" he nodded. She took the bowl into her hands, and tasted some. It tasted relatively like cardboard. "Not very appetizing."

"But very, very filling." She gave him back the bowl and he took it, putting it away.

"I noticed that." He nodded and bowled lightly before turning as if to walk off. "You want to try something else? Maybe steak?" she offered with a small smile. He shook his head.

"I will be fine with my own ways… Thank you."

"What's wrong with a little variety?"

"There is no need for variety to me."

"Why not?"

"It is my way of life." He smiled weakly.

"It sounds… boring… What is life without individuality?"

"I am an individual. I and my monastery are the only ones that follow our ways," he says, looking about to walk off again. She came up beside him.

"Wait, wait, please…" he blinked, saying nothing, and didn't move. "So if you are individual, what do you like?"

"…I like to be in perspective." She blinked, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I watch everything from the outside."

"That's not an individual, that's an observer," she said, grinning.

"An individual observer," he said with a smile. She laughed lightly.

"So, do you have a favorite color."

"The colors that I like are those I wear." She looked him from top to bottom- he was wearing tan, black, and white.

"Do all of your monastery like those colors? Or do some like gray?" she said dryly.

"Some, yes." She sighed, and crossed her arms. He tilted his head to the side… and then she pulled something out of her pocket. It was a dark violet handkerchief. She took it and placed it in his hand, patting him on the arm and hoping he wasn't about to throw her away again. Then she promptly turned and walked off. The blinked looking down at the piece of vibrant, violet cloth. "Sometimes you need a bit of variety to remember you're not the same as other people."

"Right…"

"She laughed lightly, and waved bye to him, disappearing behind one of the big log fences.


End file.
